WORST MOVERS EVER
Nate
Submitted this review about
Colonial Van Lines
Review made Live: 12/11/2012 6:43:00 PM
RUN, DON’T WALK AWAY FROM COLONIAL VAN LINES! Not only is Colonial Van Lines the worst moving company I have dealt with, they represent the single worst experience I have ever had with any company. While I would expect some damage and/or breakage to occur in any move, the “service” Colonial provided totally lacked professionalism. In the process of moving, they damaged or destroyed nearly all of my belongings and their customer service just doesn’t care. Read further for details, but please, do not make the mistake that I made: DO NOT hire Colonial Van Lines.
I selected Colonial for my recent cross country move based upon my initial contact, Luc, who was very responsive, helpful and provided good service. The problems started as soon as I signed the contract. I had told Luc I needed the delivery date changed because the end date of the window was too late. He said he would do so, however, in the following two weeks I called Luc multiple times to see the revision, with no response, which was uncharacteristic. A few days later, I received a call from Lisa, my new contact, telling me Luc was no longer with the company. Lisa promised me I was in good hands. Despite numerous attempts, I never spoke with Lisa again as she never responded to voice mails. I called with some questions and was told Alvin was my new service agent. I spoke with him twice, and then was never able to get ahold of him. Again, I got another new contact, Monique, who was very easy to get ahold of, called me many times per day, however, she never knew the answers to questions and was unable to tell me anything useful except that she was waiting for information.
I learned that the move was contracted out to Infinity Moving and Storage with the incorrect delivery window (Luc had not changed it). Scheduling the pick up was difficult because Infinity could not commit to a date until 2 days prior. I had requested 23 Aug. They stated they were coming 24 Aug, providing no choice.
Once my possessions were in transit, Infinity was unable to give me any information about expected delivery other than the window in the contract (not the dates I needed). In the meantime, I tried to speak with both Infinity and Colonial every few days for updates. No one could tell me anything. I kept reminding both parties of my date requirements to no avail. The only thing they could tell me was the (incorrect) dates written in the contract.
I received a call at 5pm on 8 Sept, saying delivery would be on the 9th between 8 and 10am. This was the last possible date I was available, so while not ideal, at least acceptable. The driver asked me if my location could handle an 18 wheeler. My building mngr. had advised me that the loading area has taken them many times.
The driver showed up 2 hrs late, stating that he could not fit in the alley and would not deliver my belongings until an extra $250 was paid in cash to compensate for the long walk from where they were able to park. Because it was a Sunday, Colonial and Infinity were closed, thus no contacts were available. Needing the delivery, I had no option other than to pay the surcharge.
Upon delivery, the movers were responsible for re-assembly of the furniture. I had to re-do their work on my table and bed frame because of incorrect assembly. More importantly, nearly every one of my items sustained either structural damage or water damage including being covered in mold. For example:
• Dresser and nightstands: broken bases, water damage, mold.
• Bookshelf: mangled beyond repair plus water damage.
• Down comforter: covered in mold.
• Kitchen table: broken leg.
• High quality shoes, shoe rack, hamper, desk chair: smashed, moldy, permanently misshapen
• Two baseball gloves: covered in mold, structurally damaged (irreplaceable because of sentimental value).
• Boxes repacked due to the original boxes having gotten soaking wet. Whoever repacked them had carelessly dumped the items into different boxes (unlike the care I took), resulting in damage and mold.
• Bed frame: rusted.
The ordeal has continued during the claims process. My initial contact seemed quite responsive. After several weeks of leaving voicemails with no reply, I came to learn that he too, is no longer with Colonial (can you blame him??). Damage claims are handled separately from customer service concerns, resulting in issues being referred back and forth with no one willing to recognize responsibility. I have spoken with multiple representatives, some pleasant, some down right rude, with it being next to impossible to get a return call and supervisors being highly protected by those that answer the calls. NO ONE cares; NO ONE will discuss why my belongings arrived wet and moldy, nor will anyone assume any responsibility.
The damages that Colonial caused totaled over $2,000. 3 months after submitting a claim, they told me I was entitled to $270.
Please use my experience as a guide. DO NOT hire Colonial for your move!
